FACULTY OF EDUCATION & SOCIAL WORK

Doctoral supervision: Can a sociocultural approach assist in understanding and improving the process?

Richard Walker, Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn and Erica Sainsbury

2

› A doctoral community of practice/learners

• Reading group

• Writing for publication

• Enculturation into theoretical perspectives

• Enculturation into methodological practices

› A discourse community

• Analysis of relevant sociocultural texts

• Shared/negotiated understanding of theoretical ideas

• Explanation, critique, justification

• Making understanding communal/public

Context for the presentation

3

› Processes in this doctoral community of practice exemplified many of the aspects of sociocultural theories:

› -Social nature of learning, thinking and motivation

› -Making thinking and learning public through practices/discourse

› -Zones of proximal development for new learning and understanding

› -Scaffolding of learning experiences

› -Opportunities for transformative internalisation and externalisation

› -Gradual transfer of responsibility

› -Adjustment of support as required

› -Emotional and motivational support

› -Development of identity as a researcher

4

› Our unified sociocultural framework

› Draws on sociocultural ideas from:

› Vygotsky

› Valsiner

› Goodnow

› Rogoff

› Sivan

› McCaslin

› Lave and Wenger

5

› Meta-theoretical Perspective

› -Concerned with the relationship of the social world and the world of the individual.

› -The social and individual worlds are interdependent but qualitatively different (inclusive separation-Valsiner)

› -Recognises personal agency

› -Avoids social determinism

› Provides an understanding of the discipline/supervisor/student context

6

› Theoretical issues

› Culture and cultural practices

› Zone of proximal development

› Transformative internalisation and externalisation

› Interpersonal relations, intersubjectivity and co-regulation

› Canalisation and self-canalisation

› Planes of analysis

› Identity formation

7

› Culture and cultural practices

› Learning, thinking and motivation have their origins in cultural practices

› Cultural practices are recurrent actions or activities that can be maintained, changed or challenged

› Cultural practices have cognitive, motivational and affective properties and consequences

› Doctoral students are enculturated into the academic practices of their disciplines

8

› Zone of proximal development as a cognitive zone

› -Cognitive structuring of a learning activities

› -Reduction of cognitive complexity

› -Sensitivity to the learner’s capabilities

› -Optimally challenging tasks calibrated to the learner’s level

› -Transfer of control and responsibility with increasing competence

9

› The ZPD is an affective, relational zone or motivational zone

› A socially mediated space that involves

• Sensitivity and trust

• Learner confidence and interest

• Acknowledges learner’s mastery and developing self-efficacy

• Likely to lead to valuing and interest

• Assistance helps with emotional regulation

• Positive emotions

• A sense of caring and well being

• A sense of belonging

10

› The internalisation of identity

› -Occurs when ZPD’s are created

› -With the development of positive relations

› -With the development of intersubjectivity

› The supervisor’s relationship with the doctoral student contributes to the student’s development of an identity as a researcher

11

Framing supervision from a sociocultural perspective contributes:

› -conceptual tools for providing coherent explanations of learning and change during doctoral candidature

› -to understanding processes of learning and motivation during researcher development

› -a focus on cognitive, affective and motivational processes in doctoral supervision

› -a focus on identity development as a researcher

› -implications for our practices as research supervisors

Conclusion